Srinagar police on Thursday foiled an AAP protest march and tension prevailed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district and adjoining areas following the detention of over 80 people and violent clashes between protesters and security forces after the arrest of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).

This is the first time a sitting MLA in Jammu and Kashmir has been taken into custody under the stringent law, which allows detention without charge or trial for up to two years in some cases.

The Srinagar police did not allow AAP members, including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, to move out of the Circuit House in the city. Singh along with other AAP members arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday and was scheduled to address a media conference and hold a sit-in protest at the Press Enclave.

A posse of police was deployed outside the Circuit House in Sonwar area of the city – where the AAP members were staying – and its gates were closed.

When Singh and other members of the party tried to move out of the Circuit House, the cops did not allow them.

"Raising our voice in a democracy is our constitutional and democratic right,” Singh said In a video message. “Today, we were holding protest against the arrest of Mehraj Malik and there was a press conference also. But, the height of dictatorship is that there is a huge deployment of police and we are not being allowed to move outside."

He said the police were not "even ready to tell us the reason of stopping us".

"This is dictatorship as the administration is not even ready to tell us the reasons," he added.

"Is it a crime in a democracy to raise voice against illegal arrest? The height of dictatorship is that they are not ready to tell even a Rajya Sabha member the reason for stopping us," he added.

Malik, who won the Doda seat in the 2024 assembly elections by over 4,500 votes, was detained on Monday under the PSA for allegedly disturbing public order, officials said. He was subsequently lodged in the Kathua district jail.

Prohibitory orders remained in force for the third consecutive day on Thursday in Doda district, where mobile internet and WiFi services continued to remain suspended as a precautionary measure.

The administration invoked Section 163 of the BNSS Act restricting public movement without prior permission on Monday.

The situation remained calm overnight with no fresh protests reported, officials said, adding security personnel are maintaining vigilance.

Security forces were deployed in strength around Doda town, Bhaderwah, Gandoh, and Thathri amid tension over alleged administrative high-handedness. Concertina wires were installed near government offices to prevent any untoward incident.

Police vehicles patrolled the area making announcements urging residents to stay indoors.

On Wednesday, protesters tried to defy restrictions, leading to baton charge by security personnel at three places. Several protesters, including women, were detained during clashes, and some were released later in the day. Ex-BDC Kahara reportedly sustained injuries near Premnagar.

Sources said 80 people were taken into preventive custody since Wednesday, of whom 21, including five women, were shifted to Bhaderwah while others were moved to Kishtwar. Several detainees are expected to be released tonight.

All schools in the district will remain closed till Sunday, according to orders from the Chief Education Officer, while all business establishments remained shut.

The district administration cited the volatile atmosphere following Malik’s detention, describing him as a government critic whose arrest was based on “provocative speeches and abusive language” on social media, alleged to disturb public peace.

Malik’s father, Shamas Din Malik, appealed for his son’s release, stating he no longer wished to pursue the matter in courts.

“I want my son back. I met chief minister Omar Abdullah who said he would see what he could do,” he said.

The AAP has accused the Centre of targeting the party politically.

Eight police personnel, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a Station House Officer, were reportedly injured during the clashes earlier this week.